Land mine



Aug. 31, 1943. I H. L. HUNT 2,328,276

LAND MINE Filed Oct. 19,1940

. INVENTOR f/Akow Lra Hum" ATTORNEY Patented Aug. 31, 1943 TE-o swa MINE I Harold Lyons Hunt, New york, N;

. Application October 19,1940, Serial No. 361,822 i sciaims.

" My invention relates generally to priming devices, and specifically to a detonating device for use in exploding land mines. The main object of my invention is the provision ofa detonating device which will functionisimply 'directlyand effec tively to ignite orset off alarger explosive charge.

Another object-of my invention is the provision- (oi oz'fsrxi I -In'cthedrawingannexed hereto and'form'irigga Still another object of imyinventionis' the provision 1 of a deformable casing.fontanexplosive charge within which'casingis 'a separate compart-' m'ent fora portion of the "detonatingdevice, and

means on the casing, upon deformation thereof, to

actuatejthe. detonating' device "to ignite the main charge-.113." 1

- Still-another 0mm m avatars the ore;

vision of a .detonating. device within 'a-casing containing explosive material which detonator is actuated only upon deformation of the casing.

Still another object of my invention is'the provision of a detonating device within a casing c'ona taining explosives, the component parts of which ments within the casing and function to set off the maincharge only upon destruction: of the 0011-;

. also; circular,..and is provided with/an annular,

' detonator are disposedfwithin separate compart tainers within one of the compartments permit tinginterminglin'giof I the contents thereof and ignition of the main charge.

Still another object of my invention is the pro vision of a detonator, the component parts of which are contained within a plurality of sepa rate individual enclosures, disposed in close proximity to each other, which detonator will func-,

part hereof Figure 1 is a perspective vievvjpfigqn ijf m of s 7 device constructed according to 'an qfimbodying.

myinvention; j 'i Fig. 2 is a cross-section, of the formfofdevice shown irrl igxl,v taken Ialong'line 2; 2 of Figf h nd; 5

, Fig.3 is .a 3-3of Fig.2.

I Referencefnumeral it] indicates my device gen erally, which comprises aiiat-bottomedd-iscus shapedcasing lZwCasing l2 may:he,formed-cf. two parts; a floor portion Manda topor cover I portion"l6.. l 'loorportionjl lhas anatcirenn body portion l8and anannularupstanding wall ZBat'the'pBripher'y thereof Cover portionllfiis' clownwardly dependingwal portion 22 @Cover.

jlfi is'centrallydomed upwardly, Ias .seen at zl, r g I 4'fand-,.'If6. mar/lobe j formed r "Celluloid or; thetn trjated .typegior of g other lightjand easily 1 deformable maternr 1 I may desirably employ'lighn'thin sheet'metal out 4 of which the floor and cover portion are stamped? orotherwise formed, but I have found Cellijlr to'work well in practice, since itfis tyme ne ofyf- V the};deformationofftheicasing'materia hat my primer is actuated," Lpreferfably' employ material Fig. -2.. Both casing parts I for my' casing ofsuch strength and ;rigidity that average'adult. v ASSeenljn Fig. 2, the j tw ocasing'com are so dime'nsione'rL-jv that when cove,r,', l.

same ma be easilydeformedby lhe weightof the" V I goverontofiloor. ortiongifilthe'annular, e'peri ,ng wan'zz fits intoand'is friction or 'otherwise'locked within the upstanding circular wall 20 of the floor portion. The doming of the cover, as at 24, pro-1 vides suflicientspace within casing IZ topaclz a-j i i considerable quantity of, explosive material 50. I I The detonator of my invention is disposed p Within casing I2, so that the device asa unit, is]; complete and'self-contained. In the center ofthefioor body portion l3,'.'Iform a rectangular upstanding wall'3B,*substantial1y equal in height to, or slightly higher than, the annular wall 29. Wall 30 may be stamped up or otherwise formed,v r I s of the material of which the floor portion l4 made, or itmay be separately formedand'sea.

cured onto body portion 18. However formed,l

provide wall 30 to define a well or enclosure 32*.- 7

within the floor portion of my casing and in the center thereof.

In this well or depression 32, I place ing components of my device. Iprovide jtwo cross-sectional view along" 'the' line the ign t;

ends thereof side by si de.

'bulbed. end of the other ampoule.

a piece of potassium, Both ampoules are sealed against leaking or evaporation of the Water and oxidation of the metal, and they'are placed side by side, close together, within well 32 and locked therein 'against movement by means of either the close fit of the 'ampoules within wel1 32-,'or by an application of a suitable cement or shellac.

After the loaded arnpoulesj l, 35 are disposed I within well 32, a'covering 38 of thin, easily ignitable material, such as Cellophane or Cellu-*-- loid, is placed over and around wall 30 to seal well 32 against infiltration between the ampoules of explosive material 50 with which'the ca-sing !2 is then filled. i

Upon the simultaneous crushing of ampoules 34, 36, and release of their contents, the water coming into contact .with the potassium will cause thegeneration of heat and'vflame, which in turn will ignite and' detonate the explosi\" e charge 50. His important thatbotl'iarnp'oules be crushed or destroyed simultaneously, for if the water-containing ampoule is broken first the contents might be absorbed by the -exp1o sive rnaterial',rendering same harmless, and theisubfse quentcrushing of the potassium containing ,ampoule would have no efiective result so'far as the ignitingof the main charge is concerned., If the potassium-containing ampoule, is crushed "f rst,

the potassium. might conceivably oxidizejto such j extent that the subsequent wetting thereof might prove ineffective to. ignite the main charge. Uh-1 less thewell contents are screened, asby'means of covering 3 8,.particles oil'theexplosive might work down between ampoules 34 and f 36 fand move same from within'effective range .ofeach 2 617.

Ampoules, 34, 36are shown" in Fig. 3jwithdthe They may. also be; disposed and secured within well 31 so that the. thin end of, one' amliouk .is

I provide means within casing 12 and on the cover l6 whereby bothampoules 34' and '.36 ,may

be crushedat the same time. I As ,hereinbefore stated, cover 16. is centrally domed, as at 24. On 55 the underside of cover It, and in the'center thereof, I provide a plug 40, of hard and heavy material. Plug 40 is of such size and shape as to overlie both ampoulesit and 36. within well 32 and to be received within the confines of wall 5 30. Thus, when sufficiently strong pressure is applied to cover l6, plug 40 is forced down into destructive contact with both ampoules 34, 36, to cause intermingling' of the water and potassium contents, with subsequent ignition of the 1 main explosive charge. Cover I 6, plug 40 and floor l8are vented to ,the'atmosphe're, as at 25, to prevent air lock and'insure easy deformation of the closing cover. 'My invention may be used not only for land liihihes, such as hereindescribed, but also for flare ...bombs, projectiles, and conjoint uses. As an exemple of a land mine made in accordance with inyinvention, the, diameter of easing I2 was 1% Qand the Well was 1 /8" by /2", and the Q9 ampoul'es were 1 by V Having now described my inventiomuwhat I claim. and. desire to secure by LettersPatent is: 1-.iA device. of the character, describedEcom: prising a. casing 'of explosive easily deformable Q5 material, which casing'comprises-an upper and a, lower portion, a main explosive chargeiinsaid casing, a detonator'for said charge within the casing,which detonator comprises mpart .a plurality of individually sealed easily frangible containers disposed and secured in* closely abutting side-by-side relationship 'on. one. of ,the casing portions, and withiniwhich'containers are dis posed compounds which form an explosive mix- .ture upon the commingling:thereof,-and in part of means on the other portion of the casing,

normally spaced from and overlying the containers, which means upon deformation of'the casing, willbear against and crushithe "contain 'ers'to' cause intermingling of the contents there- 40 -of* and'l'the. subsequent ignition of i the-- main chargeand ofthe'casing itselftf LR.

2r A device as inclaim 1 in which the first described part of the detonator comprises a'pair ofampoules, one ofrwhich contains water, and .45 the other ofiwhichcontains potassium. 3. Aidevice as in "claim 1, in which a 'walle enclosure is f providedron' the lower pdrtionof the casing to locate the containers therewithin, and a hard plug is provided'on the underside of the .upperportion of the casing in line-with and overlying the enclos'ure,-the plug'being of such width as to project into the enclosure and con tact both containers upon'fleformation of the casing; V

' HAROLD LYONS HUNT. 

